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Post by jamien18 on Mar 1, 2018 14:24:22 GMT -5
im highly considering switching my two ferrets to a raw diet, but i have so many questions haha. i have a female thats almost 6 months and then a boy thats almost 3 months, i read where when they're older they've already imprinted on they're food, but she loves different treats, im more worried about switching my boy because all he wants is the kibble ive tried the different Marshall ferret treats (i know now that they're not the best so i haven't given any in a while). but some of the questions i have are;
how do i begin the switch to raw from the kibble?
what different meats can i give them? and where can i get them?
i know they need the different kinds like, liver, heart, and muscle meat and then a type of bone but im not sure if it needs to be a specific day or how often they need the different meats.
i work weird hours half the time because i work at a pet store, so some days i leave really early, or im home pretty late. the question is how often do i give them the food, and how long can i leave the food for them in there?
if i got too much of the food, would i be able to freeze it, and then defrost it when needed?
should i feed them separate at first or together ? can the have whole frozen prey like a mouse? and how often should that be fed?
that all the questions i can think of right now lol im sure there will be more
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Post by LindaM on Mar 1, 2018 15:15:02 GMT -5
I'm really glad to see you're considering the raw diet. Both of yours are kits and still within the imprinting stage, they should both switch pretty easily. I've been able to switch 7 month olds the very day I got them. It is highly doable, and even much older ferrets can still be switched, those just take a little more work. Generally, because kits switch so easily, you can often skip stages and start with the later stages, eg. chunks of meat vs first doing soup and slivers. If you have a very fussy one, you can always start with the soup stage and once they take to that you can push them for the next stages, some will often take fast after that initial hurdle. Since you have a lot of the frequently asked questions, I'm gonna link you to the Intro to Raw. It'll help shed some light, especially on how many meals of each type to feed since balance is incredibly important. holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/17480/intro-raw-newbies-readYou can get meat from the grocery store, or for bigger variety and better prices, try a local Asian Market. You can also order raw from online providers, though they can be a bit pricey or have minimum required weight limits before they'll ship. I feed twice daily, morning meal and evening meal. Some raw feeders, particularly the Whole Prey feeders will sometimes only feed once a day depending on the amount/size of prey given. They can eat together. Whole Prey is great, and they can totally have it. If you feed Whole Prey along with Frankenprey, then please balance it using the Alternative Meal with Frankenprey Balancing chart: holisticferretforum.com/natural-diet/raw-diet-the-meat-of-the-site/balancing-frankenprey-with-alternative-meals/
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Post by Miousse on Mar 1, 2018 16:20:39 GMT -5
Welcome to the group jamien18! We're brand new too, and there is a ton of information here! I second what LindaM says - their age already puts you in a good spot. (we're working with 4 year-olds.) When I first had ferrets, I tried a couple F/T pinkie mice as a treat - and my girl Cleo mowed them down with no hesitation. Maybe yours will be the same!
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Post by jamien18 on Mar 1, 2018 17:37:51 GMT -5
Can I use the chicken purebites as treats?
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Post by LindaM on Mar 1, 2018 18:04:27 GMT -5
You can definitely use them. I would also suggest my personal favorites, Orijen, Vital Essentials and Sojo's Simply as great brands for healthy treats. PureBites isn't bad for treats, but a majority of their treats are liver (beef liver, or duck liver, or bison liver, etc.), so just keep an eye for that so you don't feed too much liver. Too much liver can lead to a Vitamin A toxicity.
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Post by jamien18 on Mar 1, 2018 18:17:42 GMT -5
You can definitely use them. I would also suggest my personal favorites, Orijen, Vital Essentials and Sojo's Simply as great brands for healthy treats. PureBites isn't bad for treats, but a majority of their treats are liver (beef liver, or duck liver, or bison liver, etc.), so just keep an eye for that so you don't feed too much liver. Too much liver can lead to a Vitamin A toxicity. The chicken purebites at my work is just straight freeze dried chicken breast, I believe we may have some liver ones too
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Post by LindaM on Mar 1, 2018 18:50:08 GMT -5
I know all their products, I was just saying they provide a little less variety than other brands in case you wanted some variety for treats like most people do.
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Post by jamien18 on Mar 1, 2018 23:38:50 GMT -5
Well the only interest they had in the purebites was the bag lol
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Post by LindaM on Mar 2, 2018 2:43:03 GMT -5
Don't worry, it can take them a little time to get used to new treats. I usually introduce new FDR treats by crumbling a little into foods already enjoyed. You could also crumble it and wet it a little, then rub some against their gums to let them taste it, and once they get used to it, you can offer it as is dry for treats. Orijen is honestly the one that I feel is the easiest to crumble and introduce, the other brands don't crumble or rehydrate quite as nicely.
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Post by jamien18 on Mar 2, 2018 3:09:13 GMT -5
Don't worry, it can take them a little time to get used to new treats. I usually introduce new FDR treats by crumbling a little into foods already enjoyed. You could also crumble it and wet it a little, then rub some against their gums to let them taste it, and once they get used to it, you can offer it as is dry for treats. Orijen is honestly the one that I feel is the easiest to crumble and introduce, the other brands don't crumble or rehydrate quite as nicely. So when I begin to switch them do i need to do a soup first? Or try to give them the meat to see what they do
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Post by LindaM on Mar 2, 2018 12:35:31 GMT -5
Since yours are still young, I'd try to start as far out as possible. Try a chicken wing for them. You may have to interest them to it by playing with it.. dangle it in front of their faces, or tie it to a string and use it like a cat chaser toy. If they don't show any interest in trying it, then try it chopped into 3 segments. If still no, then smash the bone up. And then if no still, try just slivers of meat from something like boneless chicken thighs. A tiny drizzle of salmon oil over any of that is a great incentive to start at first too. If it all fails, then you can try the soup. PS. With all of the above mentioned, try to rub some of it against your ferrets' mouths. They may try to bolt, that's okay, you just keep doing it for a while. I'll list a good method to use below. Grab'n'Dab Method
Grab your ferret and place them in your lap. Dip your finger in the soup/oil or pick up the piece of meat. Dab onto your ferrets mouth/nose/gums. Wait a moment for them to start licking themselves clean. Release them.
NOTE: This method requires patience and persistence. It may take several tries before they will start willingly licking from your finger/the item. You can practice this method throughout your day or even in smaller sessions of 20-30 minutes, dabbing every 5 minutes.
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Post by jamien18 on Mar 2, 2018 14:43:23 GMT -5
Since yours are still young, I'd try to start as far out as possible. Try a chicken wing for them. You may have to interest them to it by playing with it.. dangle it in front of their faces, or tie it to a string and use it like a cat chaser toy. If they don't show any interest in trying it, then try it chopped into 3 segments. If still no, then smash the bone up. And then if no still, try just slivers of meat from something like boneless chicken thighs. A tiny drizzle of salmon oil over any of that is a great incentive to start at first too. If it all fails, then you can try the soup. PS. With all of the above mentioned, try to rub some of it against your ferrets' mouths. They may try to bolt, that's okay, you just keep doing it for a while. I'll list a good method to use below. Grab'n'Dab Method
Grab your ferret and place them in your lap. Dip your finger in the soup/oil or pick up the piece of meat. Dab onto your ferrets mouth/nose/gums. Wait a moment for them to start licking themselves clean. Release them.
NOTE: This method requires patience and persistence. It may take several tries before they will start willingly licking from your finger/the item. You can practice this method throughout your day or even in smaller sessions of 20-30 minutes, dabbing every 5 minutes.
alright ill have to try it with them, i know i have to be patience with them switching, ive been reading all day about it and it says to weight the food to knowhow much they'll eat everyday, and it says like 1/2 heart, 1/4th liver, and 1/4th other organ, how do i measure that out ?
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Post by LindaM on Mar 2, 2018 15:58:49 GMT -5
It's going to be easier for you to start with a muscle meat than an organ or heart, which tends to take them just a bit more to take to.
So that 1/2 heart, 1/4 other organ, and 1/4 liver, that is for the ONE split meal of half heart + half organs in the week in the Frankenprey menu. All the amounts you feed will be calculated off the average your ferrets eat. Example: Athena eats 2oz on average per day (2 meals a day, means 1oz each). This means for one meal she'll get 1oz of whatever, let's say it's a muscle meal. So 1oz of muscle meal, then her next meal is that split meal of hearts + organs, she'll get 0.5oz of heart, and 0.25oz of liver, and 0.25oz of other organ. Both meals then equal to 2oz for the day. See where I am going with this?
Which is why we suggest to weigh and keep a journal. For about 2 weeks or so, weigh the amount of food you offer them (tare your scale to the empty bowl and thus weigh only food), and then at the next mealtime weigh the leftovers. If the bowls are clean with nothing remaining, you may be underfeeding as they'd have eaten more if there was more. If there is a lot remaining, you may be over-feeding and can decrease the amount. Ideally, there should be just a bite or two left in the bowls at change of meal times.
The reason we say to write it down after a period is to get an idea of the average YOURS will eat. All ferrets are unique, there is a general average for adult females(1-3oz) and males(2-5oz) per day, but keep in mind kits will eat more than adults (up to 4x).
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Post by jamien18 on Mar 3, 2018 19:53:32 GMT -5
I took they're kibble out and put in 2 chicken wings, they want nothing to do with it lol. I took some and rubbed it in they're mouth and they spit it out
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Post by jamien18 on Mar 3, 2018 19:58:13 GMT -5
I took they're kibble out and put in 2 chicken wings, they want nothing to do with it lol. I took some and rubbed it in they're mouth and they spit it out and my girl is getting aggressive wanting to bite
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